[Forel Hydrosuit]

Sotheby's NY, Russian Space History, 1993, lot 70

AN EMERGENCY LANDING SUIT FROM THE FIRST CREWED MISSION TO THE FIRST SPACE STATION, the flotation suit or hydrosuit was intended for protection in emergency landings in water, marshes, or in snow. Soviet practice drills on exiting spacecraft in water were always carried out in hydrosuits. This suit, carried by Commander Vladimir Shatalov on Soyuz 10, was brought for emergency preparedness for a harrowing mission that set several precedents in the history of space flight.

Launched on April 22, 1971, Soyuz 10 was piloted by Commander Shatalov, Flight Engineer Yeliseyev, and Systems Engineer Rukavishnikov. Soyuz 10 launched into an orbit on the same plane as Salyut (71-032A), but required orbital corrections that took 24 hours to prepare for the rendezvous of the two spacecraft. The first ever space station, Salyut was un-crewed and the challenges of docking with a large, un-crewed station were different than those previous cosmonauts had faced in the joining of two Soyuz, in which both Soyuz crafts were able to adjust their position. In addition to the test of spacecraft docking, Soyuz 10 also used new telemetry systems, new rendezvous systems, and new docking equipment.

On April 23, 1971, the three Soyuz 10 cosmonauts became the first astronauts to ever dock with a space station, but could not transfer to Salyut due to an issue with the docking equipment. They remained "soft" docked to Salyut for 5.5 hours but could not fully "hard" dock to the station due to technical malfunctions. Shatalov also found difficulty un-docking their spacecraft due to a faulty hatch, and had to attempt un-docking multiple times before being able to retrofire their engines and return to Earth. During the landing, the Soyuz air supply grew toxic enough that one of the crew, Rukavishnikov passed out.

The landing in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, the first night (pre-dawn) landing of a crewed spacecraft, was a success and did not require the use of the hydrosuit.

Nevertheless, this hydrosuit carried by Soyuz 10 pilot Commander Vladimir Shatalov is not only an important artifact in the history of spaceflight but also a testament to both human courage and ingenuity to face challenges never before attempted.

LITERATURE:

Encyclopedia Astronautica. "Soyuz 10," Accessed as PDF November 14, 2022

NASA Space Data Coordinated Archive. "Salyut 1," Accessed November 11, 2022

NASA Space Data Coordinated Archive. "Soyuz 10," Accessed November 11, 2022

PROVENANCE:

Sotheby's NY, Russian Space History, 1993, lot 70